Job Description

Title: AP Psychology Teacher

Division: Upper School (US)

Location: Making Waves Academy Richmond

Reports To: Assistant Principal

Status: Full-time, Exempt, CalSTRS Retirement Eligible (During the Academic Year)

Position Summary
The role of the Upper School AP Psychology Teacher is to develop and implement effective College Board-compliant instruction to give AP Psychology students the content knowledge and relevant skill practice to complete the AP Psychology Exam while also creating a safe, supportive, and rigorous learning environment within the classroom. Making Waves Academy (MWA) teachers are also expected to collaborate with colleagues, and, lesson and unit plan to help students meet and exceed proficiency in content standards. Teachers are expected to actively engage and participate in culture building, including but not limited to the classroom, lunch and recess/break supervision, and hallway norm expectations. Teachers are also expected to invest and engage in the work of developing a results-oriented, data-informed, collegial, and productive, team-oriented approach to the work.

Primary Responsibilities

Instruction

• Create and revise culturally relevant, effective, best practice, and MWA-compliant unit and lesson plans aligned with Common Core and California State curricular standards; these lesson plans and unit plans are differentiated and designed to engage and challenge high school students.
• Execute a formalized student management plan that is aligned with the MWA student management system.
• Integrate literacy and writing during instruction.
• Differentiate instruction according to varied learning styles, including child cognitive and social development.

Assessment

• Support quarterly progress of all students in their classes using appropriate data and assessment feedback. Develop a research-based approach to assessment grading that provides accurate instructive feedback to students for building skills toward the AP Exam.
• Create and consistently use Formative and Summative Assessments that reflect and offer students practice for the tasks they will be asked to complete on the AP Exam.
• Manage a formalized student and parent engagement plan that details engaging students and parents and provides metrics to measure growth and development, socially and academically, on a quarterly basis.
• Design a wide range of performance assessments aligned tasks on the AP Exam that test students on current unit objectives and focus on retention of cumulative knowledge of PAST units.
• Administer, analyze and reflect upon quantitative and qualitative student data (schoolwide benchmark data and classroom data) to inform instructional practice and provide students with directive feedback.

Additional Responsibilities and Expectations

Mission Alignment

• Communicate with, teach and build relationships with staff, faculty, students, and their families in the culturally and linguistically diverse MWA community.
• Commitment to become an active participant in the school community – attend weekly division-specific professional development sessions, school performances, school assemblies, extracurricular activities, and field trips if needed.

Other

• In addition to the core class, instruct students with foundational coursework in an alternate class setting (“Marlin Hour”) and advise a group of students (“Advisory”)—responsibilities include: 1-1 check-ins, advisory family conferences, SAT/ACT preparation lessons, community circles, and post-secondary plan support, as applicable.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Work Environment

This job operates in a classroom environment. This role routinely uses standard classroom equipment such as laptop computers, photocopiers, whiteboards, and Chromebooks.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to adhere to the following:

• Frequently walk across the middle and upper school campus.
• Participate in campus supervision duty each week – Monday through Friday frequency may vary based on the supervision assignment each semester.
• Lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand on a stool as necessary, and sit for long periods.

Travel

Some travel is required for MWA-related events, such as workshops or conferences.

Qualifications

Experience

• Minimum 2-3 years of teaching experience is required
• Experience working with students and families from historically underserved communities
• Dedication, commitment, and resilience to succeed in an urban public school
• Ability to create lesson plans
• Familiarity with reading and analyzing data
• Previous mentorship experience desirable
• Understanding and ability to implement restorative justice practices
• Strong understanding of California’s A-G college readiness requirements

Skills

• Highly effective communication skills
• Skills in designing and revising authentic, culturally relevant, standards-based lesson plans for high school students
• Ability to adapt and align with school-related initiatives
• Highly organized, goal-oriented, and focused on outcomes
• Ability to design a wide range of performance assessments aligned with lesson plans, instruction, unit objectives, MWA pacing guides, NGSS, and California state standards
• Ability to communicate with, teach and build relationships with students and their families in the culturally and linguistically diverse MWA community
• Understanding of technology and literacy learning platforms (PowerSchool, Canvas, Blackboard, Google Drive and Calendar, Khan Academy, Newsla, Zinc/Springboard, etc.)
• Professional orientation – appearance, communication, organization, and attitude

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• California Single Subject Teaching Credential in Social Science (at least a Preliminary) is required
• English Learner Authorization Certificate - CLAD/BCLAD is required
• Passing scores on CBEST and CSET required
• California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Certificate of Clearance (COC) required
  • Read here for more information: https://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/certificate-of-clearance-(cl-900)

Preferred

• Advanced Degree desirable
• Spanish language proficiency preferred but not required
• Strong desire to work in a team-first setting where colleagues hold one another accountable and support one another to be at their best in lesson preparation and instruction

Equal Employment Opportunity Is Our Policy

Making Waves Academy is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the School to afford equal employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to their perceived or identified: race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and hairstyle, including but not limited to braids, locks, and twists); color; gender, (including gender identity, gender expression, and transgender identity, whether or not the employee is transitioning or has transitioned); sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and medical conditions related to such); religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices); marital/registered domestic partner status; age (forty (40) and over); national origin or ancestry (including native language spoken and possession of a driver’s license issued to persons unable to prove their presence in the U.S. is authorized by federal law); physical or mental disability (including HIV and AIDS); medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics); taking of a leave of absence pursuant to the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), Pregnancy Disability Leave (“PDL”) law, Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), California Family Rights Act (“CFRA”), the Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”), or laws related to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking laws; genetic information; sexual orientation; military and veteran status; or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy extends to all job applicants and employees and to all aspects of the employment relationship, including the hiring of new employees and the training, transfer, promotion, discipline, termination, compensation and benefits of existing employees. For a full copy of our non-discrimination policy, visit: https://bit.ly/mwapublicnotices

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